About the Project
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a special class of industrially infamous synthetic organofluorine compounds. Their unique chemical and physical properties have led to their exploitation on a significant scale for several decades across many applications, including in oil- and water-resistant coatings (e.g., Gore-Tex), paints, firefighting foams, and aviation hydraulic fluids. PFAS end up in the water cycle through non-point sources, such as runoff, and through point sources such as industrial facilities and firefighting training grounds (Sci. Total Environ. 2019, 653, 359-369). Major environmental and health concerns have arisen over PFAS because they do not degrade in the environment (this is why they are known colloquially as “forever chemicals”). Furthermore, they accumulate in plant and animal tissues, including in human blood samples, and exposure to PFAS, even at low levels, is associated with serious adverse effects on human health, including reproductive and developmental problems, damage to organs and the immune system, and increased risks to a range of cancers. Thus, PFAS are pollutants of significant and widespread global concern, however they are very difficult to remove from water using conventional methods; typically, they pass untouched through conventional physical, chemical, and biological water-treatment processes, and escape intact into surface water and groundwater.
The objective is to develop a scalable and sustainable approach for the capture and destruction of PFAS present in water at low concentrations. To realize this objective, novel organic polymers will be synthesized that will have: i) affinity for PFAS (to enable PFAS capture/preconcentration); ii) the power to degrade PFAS into harmless by-products through mineralisation processes. For large-scale, cost-effective deployment in the future, the materials and processes developed in this project must be modular and amenable to scaling, and sunlight must be used to drive the photocatalytic destruction of PFAS (for sustainability, and to maximize the activity of the solar photocatalysts). Scalable methods for polymer production will therefore be used, including free radical polymerization, and photocatalyst immobilisation on pre-formed polymers will be evaluated on a parallel track (Cormack). The photocatalytic performance of polymers will be tested using broadband irradiation with suitable filters to mimic natural sunlight, and decomposition efficiencies will be quantified using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques in batch and in flow (Sprick/Vilela). To showcase scalability, we will demonstrate the use of the polymers for PFAS decomposition in continuous flow (Vilela) and use polymer 3D printing and extrusion equipment (Sprick) to prepare demonstrator devices and/or print photoactive composite structures.
The successful candidate will join an experienced research team and be supported by, and learn from, the expertise of the Cormack Group in polymer synthesis and polymeric sorbents for molecular capture, the Sprick Group’s expertise in photocatalytic material design and testing, and the Vilela Group’s expertise in flow chemistry and photocatalytic materials. For monomer/polymer synthesis and photocatalytic experiments, the student will have privileged access to the synthetic laboratories, light-sources, NMR, mass spectrometry and separation science facilities in the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PAC). Facilities elsewhere in PAC and Strathclyde, e.g., Advanced Materials Research Laboratory and Environmental Laboratory, will enable further detailed characterisation. Engagement with other researchers will be enabled through the Centre for Sustainable Development, which focuses its research and education work on sustainable development and brings together academics, funders, and other partners. The student will use state-of-the-art instruments at Heriot-Watt University to evaluate the photocatalysts in continuous flow, monitor reaction products in real-time, and showcase scalability.
The project is highly relevant to the Hydro Nation Programme because the main objective is to develop a scalable and sustainable approach for the capture and destruction of persistent micropollutants present in water at low concentrations. As such, the project promises a scalable and deployable method for pollutant mitigation (capture, destruction, and identification) in line with the goal of Hydro Nation to develop sustainable methods to develop the value of Scotland’s water resources. Furthermore, the project aligns well with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (‘Access to clean water’) and its outputs will be useable in different scenarios.
We wish to appoint a highly motivated, passionate researcher who has a keen interest in the design, synthesis and exploitation of advanced functional materials and has the intellectual curiosity, problem-solving abilities and team-working skills required to make a success of this exciting project.
Applicants are strongly advised to make an informal enquiry about the PhD to the primary supervisor well before the final submission deadline.
Applicants must send a completed Hydro Nation Scholarship application form and their Curriculum Vitae to Professor Peter Cormack (Peter.Cormack@strath.ac.uk) by the final submission deadline of 10th January 2024.
Funding Notes
The Hydro Nation Scholars Programme is an open competition for PhD Scholars to undertake approved projects, hosted within Scottish Universities and Research Institutes. This project will be hosted by the University of Strathclyde. Full funding is available from the Scottish Government (to host institutions via the Scottish Funding Council). The funding available will be in line with the UKRI doctoral stipend levels and indicative fees. Applicants should have a first-class honours degree in a relevant subject or a 2.1 honours degree plus Masters (or equivalent). Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed on 7th or 8th February 2024
